Chien chaud! Perro caliente! Rouchang! Red Hot! Weenie! Frank!

Got plans for the weekend? No? Well, here's something unique to try out. On Sunday, May 3rd, the Astor Center in New York City is hosting The 2009 Hot Dog Hootenanny! with Ed Levine, Bruce Kraig, and the Kelso Brewery.

You can taste a dog from each of the participating hot dog shops and wash them down with beer or prosecco before heading into a hot dog seminar and guided tasting, should you want to take your hot dog appreciation to the next level. The man who wrote the book on hot dogs, Bruce Kraig, and Serious Eats' Top Dog Ed Levine will talk through the history and culture of the dog as well as where to find the best dogs in America. You're even invited to submit a "hot dog haiku"; the winning entry (as judged by the world's foremost hot dog haiku experts) will be posted on Serious Eats the next day!

Dogs included in this event: Carolina Red Hots, Hofmann, Koegel, Oscar Meyer, Sabrett, Thumann, Usinger and Vienna.